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The Best Snowshoeing

What's New — By petedevine on December 31, 2011 at 5:51 pm

We are still waiting for any snow to arrive in the Sierra!  Tioga Pass and Glacier Point Roads remain open – a good six weeks after the usual closing dates.  Skiers and snowshoers are frustrated that they can’t get out and play here yet.  But when the big snows arrive (they will) Yosemite becomes a playground for winter sports.  Snowshoeing has boomed in popularity and there are great places in Yosemite for getting out for a wintery hike on snowshoes.

A playground for snowshoers
Yosemite Valley seldom has enough snow to require snowshoes; you’ll want to go higher up.

Badger Pass Ski Area is where most people head for winter play.  Rangers loan out snowshoes for the 2-hour naturalist walks they lead every day at 10 a.m.  You can rent snowshoes at the Cross-Country Shop.  The most popular walk is a full-day round-trip to Dewey Point on the rim of Yosemite Valley.  Start this early, and only if you’re in good shape- it’s not an extreme trek, just long for a snowshoe outing, and you’re above 7,000′.  NEVER walk in XC ski tracks!

The park’s 3 groves of giant sequoias are also great snowshoe routes if you’ve got your own gear.  Mariposa Grove is the biggest grove and allows the most exploration.  The Merced Grove is the smallest grove, the most intimate, and the place where you’re least likely to find many people.
Near the Merced Grove is the road up to the Crane Flat Fire Lookout.  It’s just a mile and climbs about 400 feet but gets you to a commanding view of the west slope of the Sierra.  If you can locate Henness Ridge Lookout (closer to Badger Pass) on a map that’s another one-mile adventure you may have all to yourself.
Always check the weather forecast, bring serious sun protection, extra clothes for cold/wet, plenty of food and water.  A headlamp is not a bad idea for the short day lengths of winter.

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